#its getting a lot of hype and it definitely will be a hit with a certain type of reader

[spohkh]

im gna push my way thru this client’s manuscript so i can stop thinking abt it and read smth i actually want to read. bc i am Not.,,,, enjoying this book LOL

[writingzen]

choi san as boyfriend headcanon please ❤️❤️

SAN BOYFRIEND HCS ♡‧ ⁺彡

✧ Summary- just some hc about San in a relationship

✧ Warnings- nothing really, some suggestive stuff, stuff about crying, arguing

✧ A/N- There was like five requests for him so finally. Here it goes. Have a great day :) enjoy! (Not really proof read)

Type of Hugger- tight hugs, like he’ll hold you so tightly you’ll have to remind him that you need to breath. When doing back hugs he’s the type to rest his head in the crook of your neck and his hands are either playing with your pants strings or the hem of your shirt. Sometimes even just in your shirt, he finds warmth there. His hugs can be very random. Like he’ll just pull you in, in the most random times. It just hits him that you exist and is his so he just feels suddenly affectionate. So he’ll pull you in a bit of an aggressive way and just hold you. Either way he does the thing Where he tries to lay his head on your shoulder/neck. He’s just comfortable around you like that. It’s a very comforting hug.

Type of Kisser- definitely a pecker. Like his hugs, he’ll randomly peck you or kiss you. Either way you turn out flustered. He loves getting that reaction. He’s can be pretty fast paced (not all the time), but makeouts would be pretty sloppy and quick. He’ll do that thing where he starts kissing your jawline, then your neck and it just keeps going lower. He’ll also randomly stop to stare at you, smile, then continue kissing you. The type to grab your chin, smirk, pause in the feeling, then kiss you again.

Type of Comfort- he’s the type to reassure you. Like while crying he’ll talk a lot of comforting words and soft “shhhhh’s” not shushing you but just a way of calming you down or a small hum, yk. Just to remind you that he’s there and it’s going to be okay. He holds you, letting you crying into his shoulder while rubbing your back and kissing your forehead. “It’s okay love, I’m right here” and he always is.

Arguments- hate to say it but my dude could be pretty dramatic in them 😭. He’ll probably say what he’s gotta say, I don’t see him as the type to go too far, but he’ll go what he needs to go. And if you end up crying, he’ll force himself to stop. He’ll try to be understanding and hear you out. Then he’ll comfort you while apologizing even if it’s not his fault. (He can be pretty petty though) it’s can also turn Into angry sex, but that’s another story ;). He’s very vocal about his problems and if you happen to disagree and argue, he’ll argue. Though he hates them when they are serious, he can be pretty impulsive, so he’ll argue ignoring how he feels, but he’s also sensitive so he might end up crying as well. Especially if it’s really bad. So don’t take it too far with him either.

HC

-can be very flirty but also very soft. Depends on his mood

-he gets jealous, depending on his mood is how it will go. He can be either whiny after or more dominant.

-he’ll pull you close, taking you away from the dude who’s making him jealous, kissing your neck as his hands rest on your waist. “Sorry, but me and my girlfriend have somewhere to be”

-if in a whiny time, it will most likely be after the situation, like at home or if its someone he’s close to like a member. Either way, he’s pulling you away, but it will go more. “Y/nnnn. You’ve barely talked to me. Do you like wooyoung more?” Knowing damn well you’ve spent the entire day with him.

-he loves you and is obsessed with you but In a clingy way. So he shows it to you and will let you know it.

-he’ll cling onto you 24/7

-never letting you go

-soft praises

-hypes you the fuck up though

-like will show you off, especially to the members. pulls a “She looks hot right? Well she’s only mine”

-no shame, he will be affectionate in front of his members.

-waist grabs are a must

-he always touching you, trust

-always having a hand on you. If not holding hands, he has it on your thigh, waist, back etc.

-manhandles the fucks out of you man

-loves how nervous you get with the slightest touch. Loves making you blush and flustered.

-teases you 24/7. Lives for that shit

-he’s the type to have those loving stares. Like you’ll be cooking, washing dishes, reading etc and he’ll just be smiling, staring. You’ll have to move his face for him to stop

-the type to ask a kiss if you want something. “Wanna try my food? Give me a kiss first”

-type to truly always be there. Like no matter what. If he’s at work and you are truly having a hard time, he’ll leave work early or beg his members to let him take the day off.

-truly an amazing boyfriend

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

what’s each greasers reaction when Johnny low key starts hooking up with a really hot f!greaser? She turns out to be chill btw (I will bombard you with these)

OH SO YOURE TALKING ABOUT ME jkjkk I’m nonbinary but yes I would happily fulfill this

Ponyboy Curtis

-honestly kinda shocked

-pretty much just happy for Johnny

-but is like damn how’d you even get the guts to talk to her

-doesn’t like you at first because he feels like you take up too much of Johnnys time

-but once he gets to know you he likes you a lot and you three hang out and have lots of fun

-ponyboys a bit younger and he asks you for advice on how to get his own girl/talk to them

Sodapop Curtis

-he’s super hyped for Johnny

-he warns him to be careful though, especially after his experience with Sandy/greaser girls in general

-he ships so hard

-he gives Johnny genuinely good advice

-he’s a romantic and knows how to be a good boyfriend/fwb partner

Darry Curtis

-doesn’t like you one bit

-not at all

-he doesn’t trust you and think you’ll break Johnnys heart

-he is prepared to push you across the room if that happens Ponyboy style 💀😭💅 (sorry I couldn’t resist)

-even if it’s only just hooking up

-after a while, he sees that you do really like and care for Johnny and supports you two

-teases in a friendly way, like a father

Dallas Winston

-first in the gang to know because yes he was johnnys wingman

-he was how Johnny got guts to even talk to her

-he did give him a short lecture on girls before tho

-“you can let them get to you, man”

“just don’t let her break your heart, okay Johnny?”

-he’s proud of Johnny, feels like the student is becoming the master

-“I knew you could do it, scoring a hot chick like y/n.”

-totally teases Johnny though

-like relentlessly

-will steal stuff for Johnny to give to you

Two Bit

-he also will shoplift things for Johnny to gift to you

-RELENTLESS TEASER

-probably accidentally walked in on yall- uh-

-and then told the whole gang later and made several jokes about it

-honestly impressed Johnny pulled you

-SO MUCH TEASING ITS TWOBIT WHATD YOU EXPECT

-but yeah he’s happy for Johnny but will tease him until he dies about it

-Johnnys face definitely gets all red when he brings that up

“C’mon, two, cut it out. You’re traumatizing the poor thing.” You’d say with a smirk while secretly (obviously) enjoying it

Steve Randle

-doesn’t trust you either

-pretty cold towards you at first

-but then when he gets to know thinks you’re actually pretty cool

-invites you to fix cars with them then gives you “the talk 💀💅”

-“listen, you break Johnnys heart, I’ll break your neck”

-you slowly nod, and hit your head on the car

-yall both start laughing and actually have a really good relationship over time

[the-s1lly-corner]

Anon who asked about the mpost/the one who had sent the tadc x wolf reader request here... Here's my new and improved version of the request!! And not on anon so I get the notification for it being completed :3

Okay so, tadc characters of your choosing (if you need specific characters then Jax, Ragatha, Caine, and Gangle) x a wolf!reader who is really shy, tends to be self deprecating, is a people pleaser, and underestimates their skills. Preferably platonic but romantic is fine!!

Caine, Ragatha, Jax and Gangle x wolf!reader who is shy w/ low confidence !

writing this then imma go work on my silly art eheheheheh unironically listening to hit my spot by ur pretty (do NOT listen to it without headphones if youre not alone it is literally gay sex song) on loop it has no reason to be so catchy gawd DAMN admins yapping aside i hope you enjoy this !! written more leaning towards platonic !!

CAINE:

i think he would try to hype you up and make you more confident in yourself! i think he would be a little confused on why you arent too.. self assured, i mean he thinks youre cool and talented and skilled and-

he could go on for hours.. i think sometimes you might cave into him and what he wants due to you being a people pleaser and it might take caine a while to catch on to that and try to pay attention to those smaller things, especially if theres something making you uncomfortable... the good thing about being a wolf is that you have ears and a tail, which do a lot in conveying how youre feeling in the moment! usually he pays attention to those things if youre the type to not like.. vocalizing your discomfort. hypes you up to everyone who will listen, stops just short of picking you up and showing you off to everyone/hj

RAGATHA:

similar to caine she uses your ears and tail as a means to gauge your internal feelings about things. ragatha is a lot more low energy and calmer compared to some of the other characters on this list... has the least issues of reading you. pulls you away if youre getting uncomfortable in any situation, and oftentimes stands up for you if someone is trying to push you something you dont actually want to do... a lot of the times those people tend to be jax.. but we'll talk about that in his part. I like to think she would try to give you little pep talks when she notices you're a little down.. makes frequent compliments to you and the things you do (skills, hobbies, ect). her room is always open to you whenever you need an escape!

JAX:

really a lot of his "coercing" is just him teasing you and, in a somewhat mean way, trying to subtly push you to get a backbone and find your limit. he wont say it or really express it, but you guys are friends and he does want to see you be able to speak for yourself... its just how he goes about it can be a little... erlrkgkh.... you know? since HES the one trying to test your boundaries and get you to snap at him. i dont think he would go as far as make fun of your hobbies and interests to make you stand up for yourself.. thats just. a smidge to mean, since youre his friend. definitely calls you wolf/dog-based nicknames, most of them dont fall into the "im trying to make you stand up for yourself" thing and more so "haha i think its funny and genuinely lighthearted"

its a little odd but there are good intentions in there

GANGLE:

she gets it, she really does... you two probably talk to one another about your problems to one another... you both find comfort in it and in a way it makes you both feel better. seeing you uncomfortable or anxious kind of empowers gangle to come and help you out, regardless of which mask shes wearing. i like to think it would to the same for you if the roles were reversed... its kind of like how you stop being anxious momentarily when you see your friend struggling and being anxious themselves and you back them up or speak for them, you know? or maybe thats just a me thing... shrugs. probably gives you bows and ribbons to put on your tail to accessorize it

[sepetajmikolikomehoces]

I seriously do not know how to make this coherent. I think if we just dive in not expecting it, it won't feel so disjointed.

This was one of the most magical weekends of my life, by far the best one this year so far and I think it will hold up pretty damn well in the long run. I am so, so happy that I didn't end up selling my Saturday ticket, despite it being an upper level seated ticket. I was afraid I'd feel very removed and that the view would be obscured, but it was all but.

Like that is pretty dang good.

Didn't queue for overly long either day, and met some really, really lovely people. If you feel like you at any point talked to me, hi, hello, I am so happy to have met you!!

Openers were really good, I enjoyed both Pilvet pilvet and JC Stewart, and I hope to hear more from both in the future.

Saturday's setlist was a bit of a shock, ngl. No ASTP? No NGVOT? No Barve?? On the other hand: my soul ascended during the Gola opening and I was very emotional during Vem da greš. It's been an anthem for me since last fall, and getting to experience it live, even from my seat, was just... yeah. A Lot. We'd gotten folded paper butterflies to hold up if they played Metulji and it was one of the most beautiful renditions I have heard of it, with Jan on the piano, Bojan singing and a sea of paper butterflies floating. I could be wrong, but Bojan seemed a bit taken by the whole thing in a positive way.

I had maybe had a feeling that Everybody's waiting would be a song that would come into its own right live and it definitely did. This weekend really made me fall even more in love with it, and though Bojan was clearly nervous about it, it was nice to see a bit of humour around the performance, with Jan having to help play the intro notes.

The two new songs they premiered on Saturday were such bangers, I have not been able to get them out of my head. Between Šta bih ja and Bluza, I am leaning more towards Bluza. There is something about it that gives me the same kind of emotional response as Vem da greš, but they are both going to be on heavy rotation, the sound is just... chef's kiss for both.

I know there had been a lot of hype and expectations re: Käärijä and the possibility of him doing a song with them. As much as it would have been fun, I'm actually happy he didn't, and simply got to enjoy the show as a spectator. Getting Häärijä as Hojan was more than enough, I think I pulled something laughing so hard.

We got the band out for a second encore (after Carpe Diem and Novi val), and they did Šta bih ja again, and it made my heart so fucking happy to see them so excited and bouncy.

For Sunday, I had early entrance, and let me tell you... when Bojan announced they were soundchecking ASTP... my soul left me, I was fucking LEVITATING. Getting NGVOT with Kris after that (following a very random rendition of Ring of Fire by Bojan) was just perfection. I also completely froze when Jure came over and talked to the girls in front of me. Like I fully just glitched, couldn't make myself speak, couldn't make myself take a picture, just stood there like the personification of bluescreening. That sunshiney fucker has too much power.

They switched up the setlist for Sunday and as sad as I was at losing out on Vem da greš up close, I felt more than happy about instead getting Barve oceana and Padam, as well as another new song. Setlist said it was called Schlager, Bojan said it might be named Behind Those Eyes OR Galaxy of Me, so it's going to be fun to see what they settle on finally. Either way, the song was a whole damn vibe, and I hope people going to the rest of the tour will get to enjoy both these and other new songs.

Padam had me up in my feels HARD. Again with Jan accompanying on the piano, it was just a really raw and intimate rendition that hit me right in my soul. I've had "Zdaj padam in padam, a me bo kdo ujel?" on my letterboard at home for the last two months, and hearing this line... ooft, my heart.

Having seen recordings of Novi val live is NOTHING compared to experiencing it live. It is one of the best songs out there and the chorus hits me every. single. time. There is something so sweet and gentle about the setup of it, Kris on guitar, Bojan singing and the rest of them just enjoying the moment, taking everything in.

I think the thing that I'll ultimately cherish the most is the easy atmosphere, the connection the band had with the audience, and the fact that I got to be there and that I got to do all of this with friends. This weekend has been a beacon for me since they announced it and since I got the tickets. Going to a JO gig has been on my bucketlist. I got to cross that off and have so much fun while doing it, and you can bet your fucking ass I will try to get tickets to Ruisrock this summer.

[genericpuff]

welp, i finished the Dawntrial MSQ last night

it was

uh.

i actually enjoyed a lot of the things people were complaining about in the beginning, because while i could understand their criticisms, to me its flaws felt like something it would grow past as it was establishing a new foundation for a new story, which was what was promised to us, and obviously that's gonna require slowing down the pacing and lowering the stakes, which is fine!

but then the second half of the MSQ hit and i just-

on paper it should have been amazing

on paper i should have fucking loved it

but in execution, i stg trying to finish the lvl 98-100 MSQ took years off my life, even tho the majority of them took me a single night to beat, it still felt like it both overstayed its welcome and also did way too little with what it was trying to present us with

i know this is vagueposting because i don't wanna spoil, but man. "divisive" is definitely a word to describe the Dawntrail MSQ with, especially considering how many people were telling me "it gets better in the second half!" and again, I thought the first half of it wasn't as bad as people were saying, so I was HYPED for the second half, and instead I was brutally disappointed by what I got instead u.u

that said, the dungeon and trial gameplay mechanics are great, when the expansion remembers that it is in fact a video game it does it really well, it's just unfortunately not often enough for it to make up for the sloggy pacing of the story

the music is a bop, there are a couple tracks that i was a little eeeh on because they just felt really saccharine in a way that just clashed entirely with the tone of XIV and made me want to throw my headphones in the garbage, but the majority of the soundtrack was otherwise really well done, soken was really channelling his inner david wise here with the donkey kong vibes LOL but there are some somber tracks that are great too, there's a lot of range here in the soundtrack that should be appreciated despite the odd cringe track

environment design was solid, there were some zones that were questionable in their design because some of them felt pitifully empty despite promising bustling populations (looking at you, Tuliyollal and Solution Nine >:x)

but man , the last zone was brutal and that sucks because again, on paper, the concept SHOULD have been awesome, but ultimately it's still relying on the exact same plot devices in the past (insert lost civilization whose previous inhabitants/rulers are hellbent on keeping it alive even at the expense of current civilizations here) and the gameplay itself deadass forgot it's a game because there isn't a SINGLE instance of necessary combat or gameplay during all of it and so when the final quest (as per tradition, named "Dawntrail") finally pops up, it's like wait what ? that's it?? thankfully the last quest has both a dungeon and trial in it but it feels less like thought out design and more like the game devs remembering they had to actually include some gaming in their video game at the last minute LOL

i think the extra burden of directing FF XVI definitely caught up to Yoshi-P on this one, as well as the budgeting problems that still exist from COVID, and the fact that much of that budget clearly went to overall QOL changes like the graphics engine getting an almost complete rehaul (even in the previous expansions which is. a lot of work. like they want to re-texture ALL of the gear in this game and THAT'S A LOT, literally thousands of items!). where this expansion wins, it wins big, but those wins aren't enough to carry an overall lackluster experience that drags itself out way too fucking long for its own good. the story could have absolutely used a few more rounds in the writing room, if they couldn't afford more voice acted scenes then they should have simply just cut down on the amount of cutscenes, and i think the devs need to seriously ask themselves if the Trust system is worth dragging the Scions back into every adventure even when they have nothing to do (and it shows). like idk, just spitballing here, but the Trust system might be a good chance to re-introduce the GC squadrons, no? maybe go back to the roots a little bit and buff up the stuff that could still have a lot more life if given a chance?

anyways my experience with DT has been about a 6/10 and that score in the end will depend on how the patch quests go over the next couple years, I still prefer it over Stormblood (fr fuck SB lol) but it definitely feels like it's trying too hard to be like EW and ShB while missing what made EW and ShB so good in the first place (or acknowledging why its flaws were forgivable within the context of their respective designs, like yeah EW's pacing was iffy too but it at least had a lot more going on in it to justify it, DT is just grasping at straws by comparison). and in that sense it winds up being a lot more like ARR, where it's just kind of lost in what it's trying to do and creates a worse experience by the end. hopefully like with ARR back in the day the devs will figure out it's time to shake things up and try something new without using the old as a crutch.

[writingjourney]

I’m in need of some advice and kind words. As a fellow writer I’m really struggling to believe people will and want to read my stuff. There’s no real engagement anymore and I’m worried that if I post my long-form fic that no one will give it a chance. It’s really bringing me down because I love it so much but it feels like no matter what I try to do my stuff just doesn’t get seen or liked? I’ve even thought about changing my entire way of how I do things since I don’t think the way I write is working for the masses. How do you keep up the motivation as a popular writer and do you have an advice?

Hello anon!! I feel like this is something many of us currently deal with. And first of all I seriously hope that you do share your story!! ♡

To be completely honest with you the lack of engagement in the fandom has for sure impacted my own motivation which is why I haven't been putting as much time into longer fics (nor the Friday Nights series or IKNBS, I do write but I refuse to force myself). I don't feel any urgency because uploading fics hasn't made me as happy as it used to. It feels like only other active writers are reading fic atm and it creates a lot of pressure on creatives to stay super active.

I'm aware that I'm insanely privileged to have the engagement that I do have, that the type of stories I want to write are also the type of stories that generally seem to appeal. However, engagement tells you NOTHING about the quality of your work, only how many people are active in a fandom or like a specific pairing/character/trope. Your own unique voice matters more than numbers.

I also notice that a lot of people who used to read my works have disappeared which I completely understand. The fixation can ebb away during times of inactivity or when a certain hype dies down. People just don't get that dopamine hit anymore and move on. It's also entirely possible they get tired of a certain style of writing and prefer other writers at times, what do I know. I definitely don't blame anyone for that. First and foremost people should read for their own enjoyment and engage with fandom in a way that makes them happy. It makes no sense to pressure people into engaging. A huge issue right now is people overthinking these things which makes support transactional instead of genuine.

I don't care much about notes but I REALLY miss the feeling of sharing a fic with people who are excited for it, that sense of an active community. BUT the activity will come back – the movie will come out, new music and videos, heck even a whole new Papa!!! That's the natural flow of things. We can't be excited and super active all the time, we need phases of calmness as well (which is an act of rebellion in the capitalist hellscape of overproduction and churned out content. I am honestly glad Ghost is taking it easy).

Now, I recommend you write your story exactly how you want to!!! do NOT change it for the sake of popularity because it will lose its very soul and you will struggle to be happy with it by the end. You know how you want to tell your story and nothing else matters. It will find its readers or you can wait and share it at a later point. I recommend that you approach other writers and readers and intensify that contact, make friends and talk to them about your stories, hype each other up, share snippets. It's even more meaningful to know people you like enjoy what you do. I am currently working on super niche fics for non-Ghost characters and I'm honestly having a great time chasing that dopamine by just writing what I'm really into and sharing it with friends. Fandom is community, fandom is fun and we can work to make it better for everyone.

A few general tips when it comes to making stories accessible: Format them to be readable (paragraphs!!), add a "read more" break, add proper content information and a nice summary to draw people in, add some visual appeal like a banners or stock image edits (like i do for IKNBS) and then tag the fics with relevant tags (and only those). Also make sure to tag the OG post, tags on reblogs do nothing for reach. Engage with the community when you feel like it and it's likely that the community will engage back. Being supportive is worth it, being kind is always worth it even if it amounts to nothing.

[solarwynd]

I feel like there are somewhat weird vibes spreading in the fandom now but can’t really pinpoint what it is. Like I’m so happy for Jimin and pjms, the results for this comeback are insanely good but it’s kind of getting quiet already? Is it just me? I don’t know, maybe it’s because he’s not present and can’t celebrate with us. It’s like after all the good news fan’s engagement with everything kind of dropped for some reason. I remember how hyped and involved everyone was during the debut even after that horrible thing billboard did to LC and how everyone was doing their absolute best to keep the song on the charts for as long as possible. I don’t really see the same attitude now and it’s really surprising to me considering there are a lot of people who liked Who and Muse even better than LC and Face. Or maybe everyone just got more relaxed and it’s a good thing? What do you think?

A good and a typical thing. Good because we’re getting the tools we’ve been asking for and because WHO isn’t predicted to free fall in the second week from its sales being filtered out by a surprise rule change so we don’t have to stress as badly as we did last year. Which is definitely a welcomed change.

And typical because a lot of people are first week result workers only and have been since forever. I feel like with tools, some people become lax because they they don’t have to work as hard. Same thing happened with 7 and armys even though that song was pretty much on autopilot. But yea I don’t think it’s really a bad thing. For second week people definitely need to take it even more seriously than the first because we don’t want huge drops anywhere, but after that, a slow wind down is okay and expected. Armys and pjms combined can produce results as big as GP can but we can’t sustain it by ourselves nor do I think it’s entirely possible. And I don’t believe the atmosphere needs to be at constant high energy because that causes burn out quickly.

As long as we aren’t seeing massive 1M drops again, I’m not gonna be frantic. I wish WHO could’ve gained 2nd week on Spotify, but on AM we’ve been hitting new peaks and progress so that’s still great.

A MUSE + WHO recomeback just officially got announced by big army accounts for tomorrow, so hopefully Saturday we’ll see an increase.

[j-nope-not-today]

TMNT REQUEST

How would the boys react to Reader finding out scratching/petting their shells makes the boys purr.

Its probably a like a low growl. They’re all so big and scary but the minute you give em a little scratch their putty in your hands, soft and pliant and sweet😭❤️❤️.

Reader talking to them like you would a puppy while they rest their head on her lap and she scratches their shell or plastron.

“who’s my best boy???? It’s you?? Yes it is!🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️”

TMNT reaction to reader petting their shell

A/n: I hope you like it and thanks so much for requesting!

Raphael

Yooo what were you doing 😭

Why did it feel so nice and what was that sound he was making?

He was so shocked bc that was definitely a first for him and you know what?

He loved it and he wouldn't stop you from doing it again

Hit him with it when he's mad. He's instantly melting.

Definitely putty in your hands.

His favorite is when your both cuddled together and your petting his shell and whispering sweet nothings to him

Boy does he live for those moments.

Leonardo

Whatever it is your doing..

Keep it up bc it feels nice and it's from you.

What shocks him is the low growl he lets out

Bc he couldn't help it and he thought it would scare you and he was glad I didn't

But he loves it and he hates to admit that he does.

Mostly he loves when you surprise him with it when he's meditating.

Your fingers gently scratching his shell he's so soft for you.

He gets a little embarrassed when you coo at him but your cute so he'll deal.

Donatello

What...was that feeling?

He was zonked out the moment you started and he was disappointed when you stopped.

He loved it. I mean it felt wonderful and it was super relaxing.

But he had to make sure you didn't do it when he was working...any other time was free game.

And he made sure he had lots of free time for you to do it.

It was a great stress reliever and honestly he would ask you to do it most of the time

And you would oblige bc look at the sweet baby 🥺

He would gladly lay with you all day and let you scratch his shell

But sadly he had work to do, but you can bet on his days off he was all over you.

Michelangelo

It was nice. He liked it was calming.

He didn't mind the sounds he made when you scratched his shell.

He just stopped whatever he was doing and let you do as you pleased

Honestly everyone was surprised you found a way to calm him down.

He was always so hyper and go go go

But the moment you started scratching his shell it was like Mikey shut down.

"You found my off switch angel cakes.."

He would joke about it but he would definitely love when you did it and it was so nice to be able to calm down and relax.

He would definitely come to you if he was feeling extra hyped up and needed to calm down.

[ecargmura]

The Mochi Mayhem Epilogue Was Hilarious (Review)

Here it is. The finale of the DLC. The ending to an era. How should we celebrate this milestone? Excuse me? Could you repeat that again? The Chicken Dance? What?

Anyways, this epilogue is bringing in the main story and DLC together by making the Paldea trio meet up with Kieran and Carmine, the DLC characters in one last misadventure to stop the land of Kitakami from doing the chicken—er, Mochi dance by a mysterious Pokemon that looks like a Pecha Berry.

The overall epilogue was very hilarious, but it also got me having a lot of questions. I know that the event starts in Kitakami when you examine the peach plush in Peachy’s. After the little scene that happens, Arven calls because he wants to come over to the player’s house, meaning you have to travel all the way back to Paldea where Nemona and Penny tagged along and then Kieran gives the player a letter, which then makes the Paldean group go back to Kitakami, which is when the event starts happening. I don’t know why the game makes it so that we have to jump through different regions. I know it’s for plot as the Paldean trio didn’t get offers to study abroad. It made me wonder what would’ve happened if they had come along during Teal Mask.

Despite that, Kieran meshes well with the Paldean trio. It sucks that Carmine was possessed throughout the whole story, but it makes sense as she had her fair share of spotlight in the Teal Mask. This is Kieran’s time to shine! I find it hilarious how he was theorized to have been possessed, but when Pecharunt showed up with the evil mochi, Kieran is the only other person aside from the player to not eat the mochi as it hit his forehead and flew off. Ha, take that, theorizers! I wonder what would’ve happened if Nemona had been involved in the Teal Mask DLC—maybe that was why they took the Paldea trio out of the story for the DLC because the story’s issues would’ve resolved fast.

Pecharunt is a weird Pokemon. While it has a connection with the Kitakami lore, it was never really explored. It just showed up and wrecking havoc. While it did give the Loyal Three their toxic chain, it never really had an involvement in Teal Mask until this DLC. The Loyal Three are its retainers, but there were slight hints of its existence sprinkled here and there. I’m also confused on why it decided to wake up and decided to possess everyone with toxic mochi. Is it angry? Chaotic? I’m not sure. Despite that, Pecharunt is no slouch in battle.

What I liked about the DLC is the fact that Kieran joins the player as a Multi Battle partner which is a definite redemption from his behavior in the Indigo Disk DLC. It was nice being able to battle together with him. I was actually surprised that Kieran’s grandparents were trainers too. They were pretty tough. Arven and Penny were challenging too. I do like that in the midst of the double battles, the last match is against Nemona, who is challenged as a single battle. I loved the mix-match of battling styles.

Once you complete the DLC, Nemona, Arven, Penny, Kieran and Carmine can be interacted with in the League Club with the former three being special coaches. I do like that they give you such a bonus afterwards. I feel like it’s a good way to end everything as you are reunited with the three most important characters in the main story followed by the two most important characters in the DLC. What makes Paldea special is the unique varieties of characters that makes it a worthwhile experience.

Argh, it’s going to be hard to say good-bye to these characters because they’re all so good. All the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, teachers, Team Star, students and DLC characters were just so GOOD! Scarlet and Violet legit shot up to my third favorite mainline Pokemon game because of how good the game and DLCs were. What will Pokemon do now after the masterpiece that was SV? If Unova remakes are true, will it live up to SV’s hype? Will it be better than BDSP? Only time will tell. What are your thoughts on this epilogue and the DLCs as a whole?

[cheiyunn]

Kimisute main story [０部 ] Part 1

Side:Argonavis

Ren: (The stage I saw has a kid…)

Ren: (Even now I’m still searching for the answer to the feeling that remained in my heart)

Ren: (and now…)

Ren: (I’m now singing, to chase after that feeling I felt that day)

Audience: Wa—!

Ren: Everyone, thank you! We’re Argonavis!

.

[Backstage]

Yuto: Good work! Everyone was super pumped up!

Banri: Yeah! It even felt better than what we did in rehearsal!

Wataru: We hit it off really well today. Even the audience was on the same wavelength with the excitement 

Rio: Yup. It was just as fun for me too

Ren: …it was amazing

Ren: Yuto’s guitar, Wataru’s base, Rio’s keyboard, Banri’s drumming…

Ren: It felt like everyone’s music was pulling me along with them

Banri: What are you saying Ren-kun! It's definitely the opposite!

Ren: Huh..?

Yuto: Thats right Ren! It was because your singing was so on point that it drew everyone along and hyped us up!

Ren: Is, is that so..?

Rio: Goryo and Shiroishi hit the bullseye. When you started singing, it felt like we were all drawn in all at once, especially today

Wataru: Yeah, it was so good

Ren: …ah, when you say all that its kind of embarrassing… but, I’m really happy you say so

Ren: It felt like we were making music alongside lots of people in the crowd... It was really fun

Wataru: Finally joining a label and performing our first live show, I was kinda worried what would happen but…

Yuto: To be able to participate in a fes sponsored by our label alongside a famous senior band whose popularity makes us shrink in comparison…

Yuto: Yeah at first I was scared, but without a doubt we pulled it off!

Banri: True true. In terms of crowd hype, don’tcha think there wasn’t much of a difference

Banri: To be able to hype up the crowd to the level of our seniors, I’d say is a pretty proud feat!

Rio: I do feel that it's also due to the overall flow as well..

Banri: Don’t go saying stuff that puts us down Rio-kun!

Wataru: Well, I understand what Kikyo’s getting at too

Ren: The others’ performance was also amazing… Even now, I can still vividly feel their sound in resonating within me

???: You guy’s sound was also the kind to resonate deep in my heart y’know

Yuto: Furusawa-san!

Furusawa: I let you guys participate in this fes and believed in your abilities. Glad to see that choice wasn’t a wrong one at all

Ren: (This person here is Furusawa-san. The person that let us, Argonavis, do a major debut)

Ren: (Right now we’re affiliated with the record label he manages, Apollo records, and continue our band activities there)

Wataru: Thank you so much for granting us such a precious opportunity like this

Furusawa: No no, its not something you really need to thank me for

Furusawa: I also wanted to see how far you could hold it up if you were thrown into the rings of professionals

Rio: You were testing us then

Furusawa: Yup. Did it ruffle your feathers?

Rio: No. In fact I rather feel honored

Banri: Yeah. It goes to show much you anticipate from us after all!

Furusawa: Ahahaha! Yeah indeed! And to boot, you guys showed me results far more than I ever expected!

Wataru: Results… ?

Furusawa: You haven’t seen it yet?

Furusawa: In perfectly during the interval times. Go look up the fes on your SNS.

Banri: Oh! Our name is coming up alot!

Yuto: You’re right… Compared to our previous lives, there’s so much more …

Furusawa: Hey Ren

Ren: ! Y-Yes…!

Furusawa: Its always been like that but today. Today’s singing had a feeling of weight and depth that deeply touched my heart. It was amazing

Ren: Ah… thank you very much!

Furusawa: The 4 of you’s power in your performances warmly wrapped around Ren’s voice and embellished it

Furusawa: Yuto, you really found some really good band members!

Yuto: Yup!

Furusawa: I’m looking forward to your activities from now on

Furusawa: Oh right, after the fes, could you guys stay back for a bit? There’s something I need to discuss

Yuto: Roger that. We’ll be waiting in the backstage area so if anything happens just pop in!

Yuto: We’ll continue to do our best. We look forward to your support!

The other four: We’re looking forward to your support!

[psychiclounge]

I don't see a whole lot of fanmission discussion on here, which is a bummer considering they're such a huge part of the classic Thief community and why it's endured so long. With some of the Black Parade hype recently, I think now is the perfect time for this- here's my personal list of TDP/TMA fanmission recs! Not in any particular order (aside from the first 3-5 or so for each game, which are my personal all-time favorites) these are just taken from my highest rated fanmissions in FMSel. Each one links to a Thief Guild page where you can find the mission briefing, screenshots, and downloads.

Thief Gold: Ascend the Dim Valley Endless Rain Rose Garden The Scarlet Cascabel The Black Parade Catacombs of Knoss Alcazar Chalice of Souls Making a Profit The Sound of a Burrick in a Room Whispers Below the Cobblestone Between These Dark Walls Dirty Money Falling, In Love Autumn in Lampfire Hills

Thief 2: Compulsory Egress Into the Odd Bad Debts, and its sequel Disorientation (part of the Talbot series by Melan, along with TG FM Rose Garden) The Violent End of Duncan Malveine Feast of Pilgrims Ominous Bequest, and its sequel Broken Triad Rose Cottage Behind Closed Doors The Turning of the Leaves King Abedzen's Tomb Legacy of Knoss (sequel to TG FM Catacombs of Knoss) The Ties That Bind (the first FM I recall ever playing and, imo, a cute introduction to FMs as a whole) Old Habits and Dead Wives Vanishing Point All For a Night's Sleep The Last Lighthouse Keeper Cracks in the Glass Bloodmist Tower Finals at the Academy Heist at Hilbert's Highrise Hotel The Sun Within and the Sun Without Malazar's Inscrutable Tower Ravensreach Coaxing the Spirit Keyhunt

Here's a TTLG thread on how to set up both games for playing FMs. I personally don't use any fancy loaders, FMSel will be what you get by default, it works perfect and is all you need. TTLG overall is just a great place to be, it's good for FM hints/walkthroughs/recs and general Thief/Looking Glass discussion.

Ideally you have T2Fix already installed, but for setting your game up for FMs, you should do a quick reinstall and make sure that two options are ticked: common script modules, and T2FMDML. T2FMDML is a collection of fixes for Thief 2 FMs that wouldn't otherwise play nice with NewDark, and the scripts as I understand are for FMs that need them but either come packaged with older versions or without the scripts at all- there's a lot of older FMs out there that will be broken for you if you don't have both installed. You can just rerun the T2Fix installer for this, you don't need to reinstall the game or anything.

Thief Guild is where all the links lead, and it's a great site for finding FMs. You can filter by genre (city, thieves' highway, cathedral, etc.) or look through the usermade collections- for a start, I'd recommend looking at the collections specifically to find classic/early FMs, a category that I know I'm not hitting on much in my list here but is definitely worth checking out if you're at all interested.

Bonus Dark Mod rec: The Dark Mod is a fanmade, free, Thief-inspired stealth game. I haven't played nearly as many missions for it as I have for Thief, but it's still absolutely worth checking out to see if it clicks for you. If you only play one TDM mission, though, my personal rec is Iris.

If you have any, add on with your own FM recs also! Feel free to send asks or dms about anything FM-related, as well ^^ I'm always looking for more to check out, and always open to talk about them if anyone wants.

[gourdkeeper]

I just had to message you once I saw how good your writing is!^^ (the Jamie brainrot is REAL and you're saving my sanity rn!)

Following on from your most recent fic about Jamie getting the wrong idea about reader and Luke hanging out together, MAYBE there could a scenario where Jamie is being hella sus about his phone (Spending longer than usual on it, hiding it, always leaving it facedown, never leaving it un attended or letting you see it etc) and reader eventually cracks and checks his phone whilst he is sleeping, and sees messages from another girl. They aren't down right incriminating but they are definitely a little flirty. Instead of confronting him about it, reader gives him the benefit of the doubt, until she catches him at a Restaurant with said girl.

More stuff happens, and there was some misunderstanding too, and some nsfw stuff happens ;D

Sorry its so long!

Sorry I took so long to get to this one anon! I didn't get to proofread so I'm so sorry if there's a type here and there 🙏 anyway, jealous fem!reader fic coming up.

Nsfw-ish at the end but nothing graphic happens

It was out of ordinary. Sure. Jamie never really was one to show his phone around or freely let others peek into it, he was reserved when it came to his privacy and there's nothing wrong with that. You respect it, the same way you hope he'll always respect yours.

However... It's been nagging you. You know it shouldn't, it's none of your business and you trust your boyfriend but... he's been acting strange. One time you've asked him to use his phone because yours ran out of battery and he rushed to close a bunch of notifications and apps before handing it over, while still keeping his sight on you. Looked almost antsy until you've given it back.

"Jamie, is everything ok?"

"Huh, yeah of course? What's the matter?" His face wasn't relieved, his brow was still furrowed with signs of worry.

"Nothing..."

You didn't snoop around, but you almost wish you did. There's gotta be something up.

The behaviour continues for the majority of the week. Phone always in his possession, not checking it in front of you. Screen down when it's on the table. It's driving you insane. What if. What if he's cheating on you?

He wouldn't. Would he?

Your head is spiraling. You can't stand the thought that he'd do something like that to you, it would break you. I mean. What would he even do that for? Surely he's had his fair share of people hitting on him before you were a couple so he wouldn't just settle down with a random chick. And he wouldn't just cheat with some flinging crush. But what if.

He's passed out on the couch. He drank too much during a brawl tonight and he's pretty much knocked out cold.

Surely it can't harm to clear your doubts...

You hate poking your nose into his business. It feels bad. Wrong. Betraying even.

But it doesn't stop your hands from moving on their own and opening his messaging app.

"Huh... That's a lot of messages." You're a bit incredulous. "Barbara" is her name and the texts feel so. Intimate. Not really intimate as in sexual but you can tell they're close. Almost flirty even but never crossing too far. She sent pictures of her outfit before and he replied with excitement, hyping her up. She was pretty. Tall. Blonde. Nice curves. Plump lips and sweet brown eyes. Probably the dream woman of a lot of people. She seemed funny too.

You could feel the jealousy set in. "Maybe they're just friends." You kept telling yourself in the back of your head. You decide not to jump to conclusions, there's nothing downright incriminatory here even if it definitely tugs at your heart strings.

You set the phone down, careful to leave it in the same position it was previously so he wouldn't realize you snooped.

---

A week later and the story repeats. Same odd behavior when it comes to his phone.

He gets a text while you're both on the couch.

"Who's that?" You ask, hoping that maybe he'll shed some light on it.

"Hm? Oh! Uh a friend, I haven't seem them in ages, I'm gonna meet with them tonight to catch up." His eyes seem to avoid you while talking.

"Oh like? From school?" You pry.

"Sort of. A childhood friend from when I first moved here."

Why is he so short with his answers and so damn vague. It's aggravating. You breath in and out.

"Hm... Alright." You let it go.

---

You've been seething and brewing in jealousy since he left. It's been an hour. You can't take it anymore and you get dresses to go out for a walk and cool your head down.

There's too many thoughts in your head and that might help.

When you step out of the appartment it's kinda chilly outside and you put on a thin jacket before closing and locking the door.

The streets are kind of empty. It looks like it's gonna rain. Whatever, you won't be out for long anyway.

Or so you thought.

As you passed the window of a busy bar your corner of your eye caught something and your legs instinctively stop you in your track.

That's Jamie. That's Jamie and his so called "friend", Barbara. They're together. A bit *too* together. Laughing. Drinking. Their eyes locked on each other.

---

"I can't believe YOU out of all people want to get married? When will I meet the unlucky girl?" Barbara says as Jamie punches her arm lightly.

"Stop it, you're making me look lame-" he rolls his eyes and takes another swig, "You'll meet her soon, I haven't really had her meet any friends or family yet. I don't know how to bring it up." His shoulder sulk. Truth is he never considered this before this relationship. The great Jamie Siu, settling down with a wife and a home? Pfft never. Except here he is, planning the life ahead of him.

"You just do it? It's not rocket science." She orders another drink as she kicks back the one she had in hand. "Have you even picked the ring already?"

Jamie pulls a small box out of his pocket. "It's right here." He gives it a small shake as he talks.

"Oh my god. Can I see it?"

---

Why is he being so secretive about this girl? What is he doing with her that you can't know about? Because right now it doesn't look good at all.

You storm in angrily through the front door and they both turn to see you. He looked mortified as he fumbled to shove something back into his pocket.

"B-babe! Hi- w-what are you doing here?" He jumps out of his seat to meet you halfway, keeping you away from his friend, afraid you might just punch her with how tense you look.

"I need to. No. I demand to know what the fuck is going on!" Everyone in the bar is staring. Jamie gulps down dry as he looks around as if looking for an answer that will save the situation.

"It's not what it looks like. I promise!"

That was probably the most cliche and worst thing he could have said on the spot. Your nose and upper lip twitch and you turn on your heel and leave throught the same door you came in.

Tears welling at your eyes. His answer told you just about everything that you needed to know. How could he? How could he do this to you?!

"Babe no wait-!" Jamie turns to his friend and motions that he'll be right back and rushes after you.

Once he gets to you he hold you by your arm and pulls.

"Let go of me."

Your voice sounds strained. Clearly holding back tears from rolling down your cheeks.

"Babe no please... Let me explain-"

You turn around to face him, "Explain what? Was I not good enough for the great Jamie Siu? Am I not hot enough? Not enough of a trophywife or something?"

He looks shocked. Hurt even. Regretting his mistakes about not being honest about his friend from the get go and letting you ferment in doubt.

It starts raining.

"That's not it. That will never be the case." He holds your hands. "Please come back in with me, you'll get sick out here."

"Jamie I don't care."

"But I do. I'm supposed to protect these streets, I'm not about to let the love of my life get sick out here." He has a gentle smile on his face, as if he's trying to break the tension.

"Who is she?" You ask bluntly.

"I told you. She's a childhood friend. One of the first people I've met outside of Hong Kong and China." His eyes look honest. Gazing at you. His hands reaching up to hold your face and caress your cheeks. "Please believe me... You're mine. And I am yours. Forever and always..."

The rain is now starting to pour. Soaking through your clothes and screwing up your hair.

"Why did you hide her from me then?" There's still a tinge of doubt in your voice.

"I was afraid you'd be jealous. I was stupid because clearly all I did was make it worse. I'm sorry."

Your head hangs. You feel stupid for thinking he'd betray you. Your anger feels more directed at yourself than him this time. The tears can no longer be held back. You feel embarrassed and so fucking stupid. Tears mixing with the rain droplets, your face puffing up and voice cracking.

"Jamie I'm so sorry- I- I-"

He holds you close to him, laying your head in his chest.

"It's okay, I'm the one who needs to apologize..."

"No, I- I looked through your phone when you were asleep and... And I thought you two were flirting or something and-"

He doesn't reply and just kisses the top of your head.

Shortly after you hear a voice.

"Hey maybe we can just hang out another day? All three of us. You should both go home."

It was her. She had a deep but kind voice.

"But-" Jamie's head whips back.

"Just go, I'll be in town the whole week anyway."

You look up at her with your hands slightly covering your face out of embarrassment. Damn she is really tall and pretty.

She gives you a sweet smile, "Don't worry I'm not interested in this douchebag, love." She finishes with a laugh, "The bill is paid. Take care yeah?"

She walks off under an umbrella without another word. You look back at Jamie, speechless. He looks back at you and you both giggle at the stupidity of it all. You feel plain dumb.

You walk back to your appartment. You can't help but think about how she told you she was not interested and bring it up.

Jamie blinks blankly for a second.

"She's lesbian."

"Oh-"

Way to feel even *more* stupid.

He unlocks the door and you both walk in looking like a pair of stray wet dogs.

"Babe..."

You turn back to him as he closes the door.

"Yeah?"

You watch as he gets down on one knee. What.

What does he think he's doi-

He pulls out a small red box with gold accents from his pocket.

No fucking way.

It clicks open.

"Will you marry me?" His head hanging low, waiting for the answer.

"What the fuck!"

"Is that a yes or a no?!" He has no time to look up as your arms wrap around his neck and push him back onto the ground, kissing him.

"Yes!" You exclaim loud and clear as you continue kissing him, pulling back only to look down at him in adoration. His face is flushed and he has a nervous shaky smile on his lips, half incredulous. He could burst with happiness but he doesn't even know how to react besides kissing you in return.

"I love you so much I feel so stupid for thinking-"

"Shh it's okay, it's okay-!"

You shut him up with more kisses.

Minutes later and you're both a flustered mess and manage to finally sit up.

"So..." He grabs the box from the ground and picks up the ring from it. His other hand holding onto your hand, he slides the ring on your finger. "Miss Siu?" He smiles, his cheeks flushed red and bats his lashes before looking content at you.

"That would be me~!" You reply happily as you take your hands to hold his face and plant another kiss on his pretty lips.

"I love you so much... You'll always be mine..." Forever possessive huh? "You were so jealous... It's kinda cute..."

"Stoooop it was not cute-"

He nuzzles his face closer with a smirk. "Oh but it was very cute. You just can't stand the idea of sharing me? Don't worry... I'm all yours..." He teases whispering.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" You cock an eyebrow at him.

"It means... The great Jamie Siu, belongs to his trophywife and he'll do anything she wants to make it up to her." He has a mischiveous and hopeful smile on his lips.

Good thing you're already on top of him.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Heyy me again so about the creepypasta thing, I just wondered if you can do Ben drowned with a gen z reader platonically? It's okay if your uncomfortable doing it ><

Ben drowned x gen z!reader (platonic!)

not uncomfortable at all! love that im getting ben drowned requests since i enjoy him a lot and kind of want to write for him more; just strictly platonic ..which reminds me, i need to draw him again soon! gonna answer this then take a break and get back to requests yipe!

admin is still sold on the idea of ben being confined to electronics most of the time so i can easily see him gaining access to your devices so he can pester you whenever he wants; though this may get a little annoying since youre... well still alive! you have a life

whether or not the reader is a creepypasta themselves or is a normal person is up to you! i think both can work, though i must say the idea of the reader being just some random person is really funny. like can you imagine? you get some haunted virus but the ghost is chill an you guys become friends

i do think ben can only mess with devices, i dont think he can mess with like. any internet browser stuff.... which segways me to my next idea; the og creepypasta came out in 2010, majoras mask came out in 2000, so putting it in the middle lets say ben died in 2005.. bro has missed a lot. youre going to have to fill him in on a lot of stuff, and boy let me tell you hes going to be going nuts

tell him about the new legend of zelda games. i think he would be hyped. throwing admins hc of ben being sick and tired of LOZ due to being trapped in the game out the window, admin needs this boy to get joyous!

he probably pesters you and asks you about the dumbest shit, does it on purpose because he thinks its funny

sometimes you guys play video games together, bro is absolutely astounded by how far games have come since he passed away. i think he would go insane over five nights at freddys. fill him in on the lore

going back on the video game stuff and playing together, just know that hes going to break the game and cheat + hes a sore loser, soooooooo...

do you think sometimes he comes and tries to spend time with you more and more over time because hes been stuck for years and hasnt really had many people to talk to? like yeah hes an angry spirit, but even angry spirits deserve friends!!!

ponders

probably messes with you by messing with your recordings if youre trying to make a video/tiktok/reel/what have you

probably interjects his own texts into your posts, never really says anything harmful, just messes with spelling or adds dumb messages

honestly its not your SM account/blog, its yalls shared account/blog now/j

stuck with old 2000s humor but i think he would absolutely love present day humor and how unhinged its gotten, though quick warning hes going to start quoting stuff

definitely quotes the sticking out your gyatt thing, hes going to drive you insane with it and hes going to laugh at you

do not play roblox tycoons with him hes going to bully small children

you guys play a horror game together on roblox and you can hear him freaking out through the speakers (likely using an old device for him so youre not fighting for control over one device)

absolutely DEVASTED when you tell him club penguin shut down

just know hes punching the metaphorical wall

on the rare chance ben is able to pull himself into the real world for a brief period of time, you guys probably do the same stuff hes just physically there for a short time!

make him touch grass while hes out, bro hasnt touched grass in nearly 20 years. this isnt even a haha "hes chronically online" joke, he hasnt actually touched grass in years due to circumstances

closing this with a hit of angst that made me go :( but imagine that it starts out as you guys being around the same age (well... close enough, since ben doesnt age anymore due to being a ghost) but overtime, you obviously grow up and have less and less time for him and :(

like owie

"what happened to us? we used to be best friends?" audio but its you two SOBS AND CRIES

[h-worksrambles]

I have a real bug bear with this strange assumption I see in a lot of online discussion of Engage. That if you didn’t like Engage’s story you must be some Three Houses newbie who doesn’t know what Fire Emblem is.

My dude, this ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve played a pretty good chunk of the series at this point. I played Blazing Blade and Sacred Stones. I played Awakening and Shadows of Valentia. More recently I finished both Tellius games and Genealogy of the Holy War. I know Fire Emblem writing can and has been far better than whatever the hell they were doing with Engage. Hell, I like Three Houses but I don’t think it’s the best Fire Emblem story by a long shot. I could write a whole other piece on my complicated relationship with that game’s writing.

Playing the other games just better highlights to me how Engage is definitely trying to tell a story that harkens back to those games, but routinely comes up short. It wants to be breezy and colourful like the GBA games, but its aesthetic and character design is far less cohesive than any of those three games. It wants to cleverly marry gameplay with story like the SNES Jugdral games but is too scared to let its player punches last longer than a chapter. It wants to key into Awakening’s simple yet heartfelt nostalgic template but fails to clear even that middling bar due to an inability to set up any of its big emotional moments. It repurposes multiple plot points and story concepts from Fates, but doesn’t really improve on any of its shortcomings in setup and character writing.

Most of all, it’s at war with itself, unable to decide whether to be a campy romp that is pure self indulgent fanservice, or a more heartfelt story with genuine dramatic moments. It opens with a wonderfully cheesy tokusatsu esque transformation sequence and never reaches that level of camp again until near the very end. Meanwhile, there are rare moments of genuinely good character stuff. But they’re the exception to the rule as most of the story’s big emotional moments are utterly lacking in buildup. The writers just had a cool scene in mind and didn’t bother to put the work in to earn any of them. What we get is an uncanny valley that ends up simply being boring. It’s too dry and self serious to embrace its naive camp. And it’s too phoned in and sloppily written to really be earnest. There’s a burgeoning theme of family and self identity that’s begging to be explored more but never goes anywhere. Between Alear’s past and hints of a character arc, the clumsy half integration of the Emblems, and other half formed concepts and characters like Veyle, Lumera and Sombron, Engage is a story with a finger in several pies at once, but never placing more than the tip on any of them.

It’s not ‘just a simple story’. Shadows of Valentia and Sacred Stones are simple stories. Engage is honestly one of the more out there and wild plots in the series. Nor is it ‘not taking itself seriously’. It’s absolutely trying to make you feel something. But it rushes through and fumbles every good idea it has. Engage reminds me more of modern Pokémon than anything. It wants to play at being a big RPG. It wants to make you sit through hours and hours of cutscenes, give you a huge colourful cast of characters, and end on a big anime-esque finale. But its dialogue and cutscenes are flat, the characters never hit their full potential, and the big hype moments are totally unearned and out of left field.

If Engage’s story really was just safe and simple, I wouldn’t even mind. If it had more respect for the player’s time, and trimmed down its cutscene length, acknowledging that it’s not doing anything ambitious and just letting you get to the gameplay quicker, that would be fine. Conversely, if it actually did go all the way with any of its half formed themes and characters, it could be genuinely interesting. Hell, it could even have a been a totally bat shit, campy spectacle thar leaned utterly into the cheese and I’d probably have loved it. But it’s none of those things. It’s just incompetently put together. Sloppy, irritating and painfully dry.

The unending Three Houses Vs Engage discourse just misses the forest for the trees. That not only has Fire Emblem not fixed it’s worst writing habits in over 10 years, they’ve actually gotten worse.

It’s apparently too much to ask for a story that can walk the line between falling apart under the weight of its own ambition, or doing the bare minimum and relying on melodramatic spectacle to hide its own shallowness.

It’s too much to ask for a game that is able to give its main character real depth and flaws to grapple with because that would get in the way of the player’s power fantasy, letting them feel like the world’s most special little chosen one who everyone loves unconditionally.

It’s too much to ask for a 50 hour RPG with over 7 hours of cutscenes to reach even the standard level of acceptable-to-good generic fantasy writing that most of its franchise’s predecessors reached.

Engage’s story isn’t a ‘return to form’ because it’s ‘simple.’ It’s not ‘prioritising gameplay over story’. They were trying to tell a story and failed, nothing more to it. It’s an anniversary game that tries to harken back to the series’ past but only repeats its worst qualities with none of the strengths.

[autisticempathydaemon]

your match up game looks so fun ‼️‼️‼️‼️ i wanna try it out hehe (rambling ahead)

1. beast of blood by malice mizer :3 i honestly don't have a reason other than it being chaotic enough that it fills up empty noise in my brain lol

2. 5w6 !!

3. ohh i LOVE youtube essays/analyses whether i'm fully listening or have em as background noise, i love horror youtube deep dives, particularly about analog/digital horror series and that one creepypasta iceberg hehe

4. i don't think i've ever had one ? to be honest i don't think i ever thought abt it until i saw it in like . cartoons n shit , never rlly knew about the concept of imaginary friends as a kid 😭

5. recently i use redacted sleep aid audios but most of the time i just . stay awake until my brain shuts down 🤞

6. honestly? i never thought abt this . but the first thing that came into my mind was veronica (idk either!!) though if i genuinely wanted to change my name i'd want it to be gender neutral, and tbh i doubt i'd have any important meaning behind it i'd just pick whatevr sounds nice

7. guy's sleep audio !!!! i joke about wanting guy angst a lot but to be real . this audio of his is so vulnerable .. like before that we only saw him being a goof and stuff yaknow . . idk that one forreals hit different 4 me

8. as much as i love every character, i do not understand why gavin is the most popular😭 don't get me wrong , love him, maybe it's because i haven't listened to the fl series but i do not get the hype💔

9. i don't know all the words per se but i would have to say mean girls . . as problematic as that movie is now its iconic and i love it and i need to rewatch it BAD .

10. damien tbh . haven't gotten to his other audios but i think i would want 2 be besties w him i relate 2 him a good amount (he also seems like the type id be intimidated into doing well in school for)

11. to be real i wld not be able to ramble if im tired LOL i think i'd be more quiet bcz i have a hard time sleeping to begin with

12. tbh just a soda (coca cola bcz i am basic) i go to convenience stores n stuff after school so im only there to pick up something quick before i go home so im in and im out 🔥🔥

13. the 2007 sweeney todd soundtrack 🤞 i cannawt find the movie ANYWHERE and its nostalgic to me so listening to the songs is the closest i'll get to scratch the itch in my brain

14. fnaf tbh EHWHEHW i've been into fnaf ever since i was a kid and it's stuck with me because it's what got me into horror n stuff  🫶

15. i'm a saggitarius, my mbti is INTP, i love horror and fashion, despite wearing a lot of darker alt fashion, my favorite color is pink (my phone case is decorated to the gods its very ridiculous) i like doing my own nails (funnily enough in bright colors) , i think i relate to honey the most in terms of personality, and i like to analyze most of the media im into!!

So part of my thought process is based on your personality types, the Troubleshooter and the Logician. However, I have to admit a bigger part of my reasoning is I think Asher would love your fashion sense and would contrast you so cutely.

Like, on a deep, core level, your personality types give me the impression of someone who’s thoughtful and analytical and capable of solving problems. Those are good traits for a beta’s mate, especially when Asher can have more social, impulsive tendencies. On a funsies level, I imagine Asher dresses like your typical So Cal dude, kinda surfer chic, and he loves your style and what an odd pair you make. Like, on all levels but especially physical, you are the embodiment of the black cat/golden retriever couple.

Asher loves everything about you, so many things about you he finds it hard to pick a favorite. He loves the contrast between your dark clothes and your bright nails, loves asking you to paint his while you’re at it so y’all can match. He loves watching FNAF theories with you, because he was definitely a FNAF teenager. He even loves watching scary movies with you though he’s terrible with them. (Asher’s the type that loves the adrenaline rush while it’s playing but regrets it once it’s time to lock up the house.)

Song:

In the car, I just can't wait/ To pick you up on our very first date/ Is it cool if I hold your hand?/ Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?/ Do you like my stupid hair?/ Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?/ I'm just scared of what you think/ You make me nervous so I really can't eat/ Let's go/ Don't wait/ This night's almost over

Given we canonically know Asher to be a FOB fanboy, it’s hardly a leap to assume he’s a Blink fan, especially this song. I think this particular track is not only fun and nostalgic to him but captures his energy and vibes, how he felt when he first fell in love with you. It’s also catchy as hell, so you know he’s singing this at you full-volume all the time.

Runner-ups:

Anytime someone says they’re a horror fan, I’ve got to put Guy in their big three; one of my top headcanons is that he writes some gripping horror and loves it as a genre. (I also think he loves FNAF lore and finds it so fun, though he was not impressed by the movie.) I also love Lasko for you because I think he admires your bold, authentic fashion choices and finds them inspirational.

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌